Automatic sleigh-brake.



H. M. & M. SINES. AUTOMATIC SLEIGH BRAKE. APPLIOATION FILED APR.9, 1913.

1,077,919. Pate nted Nov. 4, 1913.

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avwmbozs HENRY M, SINES AND SIN'ES, ,QEF FARR/I S, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC SLEIGH-BRAKE.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

Application filed April 9, {1913. Serial No. 759,963.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Henry M. Swiss and MARTIN Sinus, citizens of the United States,

residing at Farris, in the county .of Cxhelan and Stateot Washington, have invented certain new and useiul Improvements in Auto- 7 general use and which will work automatically to hold back the sleigh and prevent the same ironon to the .drait animals when the sleigh is being-drawn down a hill.

Another object is to provide .a sleigh brake of his character connected W th the tongue of the vehicle and which may :be locked against operation if desired.

A further object is to provide .a sleigh brake of this type which will be of extremely simple construction and operation and highly eflicient as well as automatic.

A turther object is to provide an automatic brake of this character which will .be composed of the minimum number of parts and which will be automatically thrown into operation by tor-ward movement of the sleigh toward the dratt animal or animals upon the movement oat said sleigh upon a hidslside or other incline. v

With the above :and other objects in view, this invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more tally described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a top plan view of our invention applied to la sleigh of conventional form. Fig, 2, is aside e'levational view of the same.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding ,parts throughout the several views, 1 designates the brake arms which are pivoted :at their upper ends to the under two (of the transverse seat supporting member .2, adjacent, the ends of the latter, by means of the screw eyes 8 or the like. The brake arms are of such length as to extend below the sleigh runners 4 when said brake arms are in vertical or operative position.

The transverse seat supporting member 2 is secured upon the standards 5 projecting from the upper faces of the spaced sleigh runners 4 and the parts are braced and re: inforced .by the bracing andreinforeing vertical rods 6 having their lower :ends secured the runners l and their upper ends positioned through the transverse seat supporting member 2 and through the portions of the usual bracing strips 7 extended across the ends of said seat supporting member. It will be, understood that the vbracing and orcing rods .6 are engaged in lOIlg itud r' nal grooves 8 formed in theyertical faces of the standards .5, thereby bracing and reinioroing' said standards. The brake arms 1 are positioned outwardly of the standards 5 and sleigh runners 4: and extend through the guide loops .8 secured to the inner ver= tical faces of the standards 5 and inclosing said standards, the outermost portion of the loops also engaging around the :brake arms 1, as will ,be readily understood by referring to the drawings, said loops preventing out ward movement of the brakearms and thereby properly guiding the same to their operativeor inoperative positions.

Secured .to the outer face of each runner, at the forward upwardly curved end thereof, is the casting 9 which has its unper edge extended .a short distance above the upper end of the sleigh runner and is provided with .a horizontal bearing and guide slot 10 in its extended portion through which is .engagged one end of a rod 11 extending :longitudinally through the transverse member 12 within which the inner end of the tongue 13 is secured. It will be understood that the free extremities of the rod 11 are threaded and have the nuts 1% secured thereupon, outwardly of the castings. Mounted .upon the outer endo-f .a bolt 15 secured through each casting 9 is a lever arm 16, The lever arm 16 has elongated opening 1.7 in its upper end through which the .end of .the longitudinal red 11 is engaged, it being understood that the nut 14 is also positioned outwardly of the lever arm. The brake arm operating rod 18 is bifurcated at its opposite ends, as shown at 19 and 20 respectively. The forward bifurcated end 19 is engaged upon opposite faces of the lever arm 16, at the lower end of the latter and a pivot pin 21 is engaged through said lower end of the arm and through the bifurcated forward end 19 of said rod 18. The bifurcated rear end 20 of the rodlS is likewise engaged upon opposite faces of the brake arm 1, a spaced distance below the longitudinal center of said arm and pivoted to the latter by means of the pivot pin 22 and engaged through said bifurcated end of the rod 18 and through the brake arm 1.

From as much of the description as has preceded, it will be seen that as the sleigh is drawn forward upon a level surface or uphill, the tongue 13 and transverse member 12 will be in their forwardmost positions, thereby retaining the ends of the longitudinal rod 11 of the transverse member 12 in the forward ends of the bracing and guide slots 10 in the castings 9 and holding the upper end of the lever arms 16 in their forwardmost positions, thereby holding the brake arm operating rods 18 and brake arms 1 in their rearward positions, with the lower ends of the brake arms 1 above the lower edges of the runners and the snow surface. Should the draft animals be brought to a sudden stop or should a sleigh be drawn down an incline, however, the weight of the sleigh will cause the same to move nearer the draft animals, thereby bringing the ends of the longitudinal rod 11 to the rear ends of the bearing and guide slots 10, swinging the lever arms 16 upon the extended ends of the bolts 15 and as a result, compelling forward movement of the brake arm operating rods 18 and thereby bearing the brake arms 1 to their vertical or operative positions and engaging the same through the snow surface, resulting in holding back or completely stopping the sleigh, as will be readily understood. As soon as the tongue 13 and transverse member 12 are drawn forwardly with sufiicient force to draw the opposite ends of the longitudinal rod 11 to their normal positions at the forward ends of the bearing and guide slots 10, the lever arms 16 and brake arm operating rods 18 will again be reversed or returned to their normal positions, causing the brake arms 1 to return to their normal or inoperative positions.

When it is desired to prevent automatic operation of the brake mechanism, the parts may be locked in inoperative position by inserting the keys 23 in the vertical key openings 24 with. the ends of the longitudinal rod 11 in its forwardmost position, the keys 23 being inserted rearwardly of said ends of the rod and thereby preventing the ends from moving rearwardly within the bearing and guide slot-s 10.

It will be apparent that owing to the simple construction of the various parts of this brake mechanism, the same may be readily and cheaply assembled and secured upon sleighs of ordinary construction now in general use without in the least altering the construction of the sleighs. It will also be evident that should any of the parts become worn or broken they'may be readily and cheaply repaired or replaced without .interfering with the remaining parts and the complete mechanism may therefore be highly efiicient and efiective in use.

While we have shown the preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that minor changes in the details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described this invention, what we claim is 1. The combination with sleigh runners, means for connecting the sleigh runners, means for bracing the sleigh runners and connecting means, and a tongue; of castings carried by the sleigh runners and having elongated openings, the member at the inner end of the tongue being engaged through the elongated openings of the castings, rock levers pivoted upon the runners, connections between the upper ends of'the rock levers and the extremities of the tongue member,brake arm operating rods pivoted to the lower ends of the levers, brake arms suspended from the runner connecting means, said operating rods being pivoted to the brake arms to operate the latter, means for guiding the brake arms, and means for engagement in the castings rearwardly of the tongue member to prevent operation of vthe levers and rods.

2. The combination with sleigh runners, means for connecting the sleigh runners, means for bracing the sleigh runners and connecting means, and a tongue; of castings carried by the forward ends of the sleigh runners and having elongated horizontal openings, the transverse member at the inner end of the tongue having its extremities engaged through the elongated openings of the castings, rock levers pivoted upon the outer faces of the runners, loose connections between the upper ends of the rock levers and the projecting extremities of the transverse tongue member, brake arm operating rods pivoted to the lower ends of the levers, brake arms suspended from the runner connecting member, said operating rods being pivoted to the brake armsto operate our signatures, in the presence of two wit the latter, means for guiding the brake arms, nesses. and means for engagement in the castings HENRY M. SINES.

rearwardly of the ends of the transverse MARTIN SINES. 5 tongue member to prevent operation of the Witnesses:

levers and rods. VIVIAN DAVIS,

In testimony whereof We hereunto affix C. C. KING. F

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

